Static Pulses
by Pinkehart
Summary: "The static pulse of a heart is how everything begins and ends." Thea is no exception. As she grows to know Peter Parker she finds her heart starting to beat. Book One in the Pulses Series [peter parker/oc] [avengers aou - avengers civil war and au]
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

Darkness was the only thing Thea knew before she met Tony Stark and Peter Parker. A deep, dark black hole filled herself, growing bigger and bigger until it consumed her whole. Something _grew_ inside of her during these dark times, a void began to swell in her body as years raged on without its knowledge. A void that would soon encompass everything she cared about. Not even Thea knew her whole story.

The only comforting darkness Thea knew of was the black of the back of her eyelids when she was asleep. A calming picture to confide in every night, that was ruined every morning by the sun and the body's natural alarm clock pushing the mind to come to life.

Neurons firing, muscles warming up and the mind coming to life is a miracle to revel in every morning. The human body is a mystery enough as a normal, functioning human. But to Thea, her body was a foreign object. A mere plaything to control as her mind took over. After all, the mind is what controls everything we know of. Her mind was fueled by the enigma of her own powers. Her mind was not only able to control her own body but the matter of others.

Known under the alias of 'Dark Matter' to many, Thea is able to control both dark matter and dark energy. Both things that are still a complete mystery to the world. These vast substances are what make up all of the universe. Having knowledge and authority over these objects gives those the ability to control much of what's known.

These powers came into the public eye when on the notorious day of 2012 came along. A simple day started out the same. But quickly advanced into a seemly small apocalypse.

A giant wormhole appeared in the New York city skyline, wisps of energy flowing non-stop out of it along with technologically advanced aliens and machinery. In order to cut off all of the connection with this world and the wormhole, Tony Stark bravely put himself in harm's way to save the lives of many others.

Not knowing whether his fate was sealed with his entry into the portal, Thea felt as if she had lost her only connection to the physical plane. Bursts of purple energy fired from Thea's body as her mind raged on. The sorrow of her only connection, lost forever, repeated in her mind as buildings, streets and cars were destroyed around her. The power built from within caused a great deal of destruction to the surrounding area. Showing the public the true nature of her powers and what could come in the future. Grainy videos surfaced online from city blocks away at the immense blasts of energy coming from her body. This was the world's first taste of literal power in the wrong hands.

That moment is when the world began to fear her, that moment is when she began to fear herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Eyes opened up slowly as they adjusted to the light coming from the window. Thea, a brunette haired teenager, woke up to the loud music of AC/DC being blasted over the speakers in her bare room. Thea's room was not a typical teenage room. It wasn't filled with posters or candles, instead it had only the essentials inside of it. A queen size bed with white linen sheets lay in the middle of the room. A single table with a laptop sat underneath the giant window that let rays of sunlight into the room. Blinking a few times, Thea sluggishly sat up in her bed. A warm comforter and her pjs were the only things keeping Thea from freezing. Still hearing the blasting music pouring out of her speakers, Thea placed her bare feet on the cold wood flooring and quickly made her way down the expansive hall to the kitchen. The cold floor waking her up once her bare feet touched it, sending a shockwave up her spine to her brain.

Thea grinned softly as she heard Tony sing along to the current song playing in the background. Tony was not her biological father; he was more of a father-figure in her life, a mentor of some sorts. Tony had taken her from the streets when she needed it most. She was living on illegal practices such as pickpocketing and conning people out of their money. But one day, Thea choose the wrong person. Thea rubbed her eyes, removing the sleep from her face as she looked at Tony, in the kitchen dancing and making coffee. His dance moves were not in tempo with the song, but it seemed like Tony didn't care; and without turning around Tony shouted over the song, "Good morning kid!"

He pivoted around, a smirk evident on his face at the sight of Thea, her hair a mess on top of her head, trying to be a bun but failing miserably, her eyes still filled with sleep, and deep bags causing her to look older than usual instead of the ripe age of 14 she was at the moment.

Thea opened her mouth to speak but was immediately stopped with a single finger that Tony held up. He then reached over the counter he was next to and grabbed a small remote. With a single push of a button the music silenced. Taking the newfound silence as a welcome Thea spoke.

"What the fuck do you want with me at 7 in the morning on a Saturday?" She grunted, still half asleep and angry from being woken up unwillingly. Thea crossed her arms and waited for Tony's response to her question while he pivoted back around to the coffee machine once it began to make a dinging noise, sounding that the coffee was done. Tony turned back around to face Thea, a new cup of coffee in his hand.

"Oh yeah." He blew on his cup in order to cool down the steaming coffee. "How would you like to go on a mission for me?" He proposed. He stared down at the steaming cup and then back up at Thea, whose face showed something along the lines of shock.

Thea uncrossed her arms and walked closer to the chair at the island in the kitchen. Pulling out the chair and sitting down she replied, "What kind of mission?" Thea rested her elbows on the table and leaned against her arms, "You know after what happened, the world isn't going to take too kindly to me again."

Tony walked over to the chair next to Thea and pulled it out, sitting down on it and setting his cup down. He agreed with her, "I know kid, but I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't absolutely necessary and you know that." Tony looked at her in some form of desperation. Thea pivoted her chair to the left where Tony was situated. Her face still rested in her hands.

"So then," she paused, thinking of what to say next. "What is the mission?" Tony's face lit up at her response.

"I need you to find someone for me. There is a new superhero in Queens going by the name of Spider-Man." He confided in her. "But with that costume he has is he really considered a _man_" he muttered to himself.

Thea pretended not to hear her last comment and replied, "So that's it? You just want me to find out who this Spider-Man is?"

"Yep, that's all I am asking of you; nothing too dangerous and you should be fine on your own for the time being."

Thea paused for a moment, taking in all the new information before asking, "How do you want me to find him exactly? Queens isn't a particularly small place you know."

Tony nodded in agreement and answered, "I know, that's why I narrowed down the spectrum for you. We know as of now that Spider-Man is a student at a school called Mid-Town High."

Thea lifted her head from her hands, leaving a red mark on her face and already knowing where this conversation would be headed. "And how exactly do you think I plan on getting him then?" She asked him, now sitting up straight in the chair.

Tony sighed and with an apologetic look in his eye he confessed, "I know you aren't going to like this but since you're a teen and Spider-Man is obviously one too I thought that—"

Thea interrupted saying, "No, no way in hell am I becoming a student at the Mid-Town hell school. There is a reason I'm not in school right now and that's because I am not normal, not even in the slightest."

"Look I know, believe me, but I know you can do this. If anyone can do this it's you kid." Tony reassured Thea, sensing her discomfort. He placed a light touch on her shoulder and rested his hand there. "I trust you."

Inside Thea's mind, she knew there could be so many possible things that could go wrong at the spur of the moment. Thea dropped her head and gazed down at the floor. "I don't know Tony, what if something goes wrong and I hurt more people or people find out who I am or—"

Tony stopped her, "Don't worry, I'll be there for you, I just can't do this myself. Please Thea; I know you'll be strong."

Tony let go of his light grasp of her and waited for her response. She lifted her head slowly and looked into his eyes saying, "Okay." Tony smiled at her, the corners of his eyes showing crows feet. Thea smiled back at Tony. "Now leave, I want to sleep as much as I can now before I have to get up earlier than this every day." She groaned playfully.

Tony stood up from his chair and took a step with open arms. Thea stayed put in her chair as Tony hugged her tightly, saying, "Thank you so much Thea; you're the best daughter I could ever have." He then left Thea with a smile on his face and a kiss on the top of her head.

As Tony left, Thea began to realize what she had just gotten herself into. Not only does she have to wake up at a reasonable time every morning, but she also has to deal with everything else a teen has to deal with. Thea, still sitting on a chair in the kitchen, threw her head down on her arms resting on the countertop and groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Following the conversation with Tony a week prior, he decided to enroll Thea in Mid-Town with no hesitation. She would still go by original name Thea Quinton since no one knows who she was. Although Thea was adopted by Tony, one of the most famous men in the world, this wasn't public news. Tony wanted to keep her adoption under raps. Any news coverage of Thea getting adopted by the Tony Stark would ensure her a life of living hell. There would be people that would make it their life's goal to find her and searching everywhere for her backstory. This meant that eventually, someone would find her affiliation with the orphanage and her time on the streets. Tony couldn't let that happen to her. But in addition to Tony enrolling her, he also thought it was a good idea to get Thea an apartment in Queens. So that she was closer to school so it wouldn't look as suspicious when she would have to walk into the Stark tower every day. The apartment, however, was very empty at the moment and didn't feel like home yet. Thanks to this little factor Thea forgot to set up the alarm for the next morning, the first day of her high school experience. She only woke up just in time because Tony decided to call her to check in.

The continuous ringing of a call coming in shook Thea from her deep sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced around her room to find the source of the ringing before her eyes landed on her phone laying next to her. She picked up the phone and squinted at the bright screen now assaulting her eyes. Thea looked at the phone, the familiar face of Tony on the lock screen. She pushed the accept button on the bottom of the phone and placed it up to her ear. The sharp voice of Tony speaking on the other end of the call.

"Hey kiddo, are you already on your way to school?"

Thea pulled back her phone to glance at the time and audibly cursed once she realized how late it was. School started at 8:10 and as of right now it was 7:50. Thea put her phone back to her ear to hear Tony blabbering on about how proud he was of her. "Look, Tony, I got to go, call you later!" Thea exclaimed.

In a rush, Thea hung up the call and jumped out of bed and ran to her closet by the door. She rummaged through the closet for a minute and picked out a sweater and a pair of leggings to go with it. Wasting no time Thea ran out of her bedroom and into the bathroom. She brushed her hair so fast and reckless, that chunks of her hair came out with the brush. She then brushed her teeth vigorously, went back to the living room, picked up her backpack and left out the front door.

Thea ran down to the elevator on her 7th-floor apartment, but waiting for the elevator seemed to take too long. So Thea ran down to the stairs. She ran down the stairs so fast that it seemed like she was missing a couple of steps; practically flying down the steps to the ground floor. But taking such huge steps at a time failed her because on the 2nd to the last step in the staircase she tripped over her own leg and fell down to the floor. Thea closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of the ground but was surprised to feel something else under her. She opened her eyes, surprised to see a boy, about the same age as her, underneath her. In utter shock, Thea gripped slightly to the surprised boy's shirt. Underneath her hands, Thea could feel taut muscles. Thea shook her mind from the feeling of his chest and apologized to the unknown kid in front of her while standing up. Her hands brushed off the dirt that was now clinging to her pressed clothes. "I'm just running really behind and I have to get to school for my first day."

The nervous boy spoke with a quiver in his voice. "N-no problem really, I'm just glad I was here so you didn't have to fall down the flight of stairs and injure yourself more." He had gelled back brown hair with a hint of curls coming through. His face was flushed with color and his deep brown eyes widened. "I am also running quite behind myself." The boy confided in her. "I'm P-peter, Peter Parker." Thea looked Peter up and down, her eyes gliding over his chest. Her mind immediately thought about how attractive this boy she just fell on was. He was a nerdy type of teenager that would never strike up a conversation with a girl.

"Thea Quinton." Thea said as she fished through her pocket, looking down at her phone, she shook her head and said, "I'm so sorry but I better be going. I don't want to be late to my first day of high school."

In a rush, Thea began to make her way out to the apartment lobby door but the same voice she fell on called out. "H-hey you wouldn't happen to be going to Mid-Town?" Peter questioned. Thea pivoted around on her feet and looked the boy up and down in curiosity.

"Yeah actually I am, today is my first day there and I don't want to end up being late."

"Well, we could go together if you want." Peter scratched the back of his head while saying this. "I could also show you around if you want. That way you aren't completely confused once you get there."I mean u-unless you don't want to, then you don't have to be around me."

Thea interrupted Peter quickly by placing a finger on his lips and quietly shushing him. "Peter, I would love to have someone show me around Mid-Town, but we better get there before class starts, otherwise this conversation would have been for nothing." Thea grinned slightly at his flustered reaction. Slowly, Thea dragged her finger off of his mouth, her nail dragging across his lip.

Peter's brown eyes grew in size and with a gulp of spit in his throat, he stuttered out, "G-great! Let's get going then; we-uh have a lot to do before the day ends."

Thea smirked at Peter's reaction as she pivoted around on her foot and strutted her way toward the doors. Like a lost puppy, Peter followed her trail.

Thea and Peter both arrived at Midtown at 8:05, five minutes to spare. Thea looked around the school in awe. The vast crowd of growing teenagers surprised Thea. She walked through the hallways, passing by couples that were holding hands and kissing each other sweetly. Thea looked over at Peter, who was walking next to her and staring straight ahead at the crowd. His face was blank as he refused to look around at the roaring crowd around him. Thea's eyes glanced up his soft face as he walked next to her.

"Do you know what your first period is yet?" Peter inquired, cocking an eyebrow up with this question. His eyes gazed over at Thea, not noticing her previous look at him.

"Yeah, I believe I have English as my first period with Mrs. Smith." Thea nodded. Peter's mouth widened as he grinned softly.

Breaking out of his daze and clearing his throat, he then said, "Come on; let's get to class, my friend Ned is waiting for me." They began to walk to class, pushing through the crowded hallway, backpacks hitting them, teens making out on the stairway and lockers slamming shut. Thea teased Parker, "What, wait you actually have friends, I thought it was just me now."

Almost stumbling over his own words, "Yeah I have a friend; his name is Ned and you're going to love him. By the way, do you like movies or comics? Just asking."

"No, I guess I never had time to be invested in anything else. You know, with all the moving and such."

"Don't worry we can fix that!" Peter affirmed. He watched Thea's face change from a stoic emotion to a face in disbelief. Thea said in disbelief, "Uh-huh...yeah right."

"No, no I promise you'll love being a nerd."

Right as Thea and Peter walked into the room you could almost feel the awkward silence. It seemed as if everyone and their moms were looking at them. Eyes burned hole at Thea mostly. Peter, however, didn't seem fazed by this little detail and continued on into his seat. Thea was still frozen by the doorway, not really knowing what to do. Thankfully a woman, who Thea presumed is the teacher, said "Ah you must be the new student, Thea. It is Thea right?"

The teacher was a short, and willowy Asian American woman who looked to be in her early 30s. Breaking out of her silence by the door, Thea said, "Uh yeah Thea Quinton."

"Great! My name is Mrs. Smith, your new English teacher." She exclaimed. "Just pick any seat you find so that way I can start the lesson."

On the other side of the classroom, Peter began to make his short trek to his desk. As soon as Peter got into the classroom he almost bolted into his desk. Once he was situated in his desk, Peter looked back at Thea, who he assumed was already making her way to a desk. Instead, Peter found her frozen in the doorway, not knowing what to do. Peter glanced around the classroom to find the teacher, but she was already making her way the Thea.

_She's fine_. Peter thought to himself

"Pssst." A sudden voice called out to Peter. He turned around in his seat to find Ned, a chubby and nerdy friend of Peters, wide-eyed and in a state of shock. "Hey, who's that new girl? You were walking with her right?" Ned questioned.

Peter whispered back, not wanting to cause a distraction, "Yeah, she kinda fell into me back by my apartment and so we just kinda walked together."

"And you didn't die!?" Ned exclaimed. This caused a few heads to turn toward them, but thankfully not Thea or the teacher.

"No Ned I didn't faint because of her."

"How!? Cause if I was you I would have most definitely fainted as soon as she touched me." Ned told him.

"I mean have you even seen her Peter? She's like a ten and you're a measly five." Ned confided in Peter. Rolling his eyes, Peter said, "Thanks for the confidence boost Ned, I really needed that."

"No but really she's like a goddess and you're-" Peter quickly interrupted him saying, "Not now Ned, she's coming over here."

Thea finished describing her time coming to Mid-Town to Mrs. Smith. Her mind was reeling about what her life would soon turn into at this high school. But before she could finish her thoughts, Mrs. Smith pointed Thea over to the open seat, conveniently placed right behind Peter. When Thea walked over to the seat, she could hear the end of a conversation that Peter and the other guy, Ned, were having.

"No, but really she's like a goddess and you're—" Peter interrupted saying, " Not now Ned, she's coming over here."

Thea walked over to the desks where the boys sat and smirked after hearing the backend of their conversation. She placed her backpack on the ground next to the desk and sat down. "Hey, Peter. Hey...Ned right? Peter told me about you on the way here." Thea tried to keep it friendly.

Ned himself looked like he was about to pass out, "Y-you know me?"

"Yeah", Thea replied, "Peter only told me good things I swear."

With a sudden burst of confidence, Ned said, "I still don't understand why a girl like you if hanging out with a boy like P—"

"Hey, hey, hey, Ned come on, we don't want to ask her questions like this on her first day right?"

Ned nodded but continued on. "I mean, I don't see what is such a big deal about asking about why—"

"Ok, that enough Ned for today, don't you think Thea?" Peter asked.

"I don't know Peter, I think we should let him finish what he has to say," She teased.

Peter managed to sputter out, "I-I don't."

"I'm only joking Parker, don't get your panties in a twist."

"Ah-ha, yeah, a joke. Funny," Peter said half-heartedly. Thea smiled at Peter and Ned and opened her mouth to say something but just then, the bell rang and class started.

"Well I guess we'll talk after class," Thea told them both with a wink. This was the start of a new friendship beginning to blossom.

_The year was 2001, Thea lived in an orphanage for the entirety of her life. During her time in the orphanage, she was excluded from the other kids due to her unusual behavior. Thea was dropped off at its doorsteps when she was just a newborn baby. Swaddled in a blanket, the caregivers in the orphanage thought she was being choked by the blanket because of her skin that had a slight purple hue. Thea grew up in the lonely orphanage for years. She always secluded herself from the others, knowing she was different. However, when she turned one, one of the caregivers at the orphanage noticed something strange with Thea. When refusing to eat a meal that the caregiver gave, Thea's body began to be surrounded by a purple smoke. This smoke held a static feeling to it as it surrounded Thea. No one else in the orphanage knew of this incident other than the young caregiver, Alexandra. _

_Soon, Thea understood her powers enough to escape the orphanage without anyone's knowledge. Searching the streets and using her powers to steal from the clueless people of New York._

_At the age of ten in 2011, in New York City the cold wind whipped around Thea's tiny and frail body as she clung to her jacket for warmth. The rain was pouring over her shivering body as she looked around the street for her next victim. With hooded eyes, Thea peered down the empty street and spotted a man wearing a business suit. One hand holding an umbrella and the other texting on a phone. The constant sound of the rain pounding against the ground gave Thea the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind him._

_Thea checked her surroundings, making sure no one was watching her before she powered her hands up with purple smoke. Slowly, Thea crept towards the well dressed man. Her hands outstretched slightly towards his back, purple smoke slowly reached his pockets, quietly digging through to find a wallet or any expensive item. The man stopped short however, scaring Thea whose powers were still near the man. The man spoke out quietly into the air, "Jarvis, get the suit."_

_Thea quickly realized that the man knew what was happening, so before the man turned around, she hastily ripped a wallet from his pocket and ran off. Her tiny feet making loud footsteps in the rain. She ran down the empty street and through alleyways before she stopped in the back alley of the orphanage. _

_Thea sighed out and calmly began to walk to the wall before she was cut short by the sound of rocket engines above her and a loud clunk of metal on the ground. She quickly whipped her head around and saw Iron Man standing no more than five feet away from her. The tiny Thea gulped as the suit stepped closer to her. Her hand clenched around the strangers wallet as she backed up against the brick wall. _

"_I believe you took something from me," a voice said through the suit. "Just give it back to me and we can go our separate ways." _

_Thea's hands began to shake slightly as powers began to flow from her. A small purple mist grew in front of her in order to protect her. Iron Man held his hands up in defense as she did this. _

"_Huh," he said in confusion. "What's your name kid?" _

_Thea glared at Iron Man in anger as she clenched her fists together. Mist flowing out of her hands, blocking Iron Man from coming any closer. _

"_Thea," she spat out at him._

"_Well Thea, what do you have going on there?" He referred to her powers flowing out of her hands. Thea remained silent as he slowly walked closer to her. Her hands slowly relaxed, unclenching and loosening her grip on her powers. Her hand slowly reached out with his wallet in it. _

"_Just...take it," Thea spoke out in a soft but determined voice. The suit's mask flipped up, showing the younger face of Tony Stark. He peered down at Thea, walking and acting slowly near her. Her powers were still flowing out of one of her hands, while the other held his wallet. His suit made metallic sounds as he grabbed the wallet out of her hand. Slowly, Tony backed up from Thea. He walked to the other end of the alleyway before he shot up into the sky. _

_Thea looked up at the sky where he once was before she released her powers downwards and shakily made her way up to the window of the orphanage. Little did she know, the same man watched her do this, and enter the window of the orphanage. _

"_Jarvis, call that orphanage and tell them I'd like to adopt a young girl." Tony said with a serious tone._

"_Will do sir."_


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The continuous dread of the cycle of classes kept popping up in Thea's mind. Her mind was already chock full with missions, but now, Thea had to worry about what to do for homework and how to study.

Thea sighed, her eyes followed the same path they had a million times before and glanced down at the time on her phone. 11:59 it read. As soon as Thea read that, the bell rang, signaling the end of yet another period. Thea exited her classes, backpack full and heavy with books. She looked around at the quickly crowding halls before she searched for her schedule tucked away in her binder. She looked at her schedule that she got from her first period, the one with her friends, Peter and Ned. The next period was...'lunch'. Thea sighed a feeling of relief to herself. Thea didn't even understand half the material taught in the classes. But she still tried her best with it all.

Thea walked out of her last classroom, World History with Mr. Fischer, and immediately set her sights on her new locker. Her locker was next to the Physics classroom across the hallway and on the second row of lockers. Meaning that she didn't have to crouch down in order to open it. But before Thea could open her locker and put her new books in she heard someone call out her name from down the hall. "Hey, Thea!"

Thea turned to the source of the call and saw none other than Peter Parker and his good friend Ned Leeds walking towards her. "Hey Parker, hey Leeds," Thea called back at them.

Maneuvering through the busy hall, Peter and Ned both managed to make it to Thea. They stopped right in front of her locker and Thea waited for what they needed.

"Since you're new here I was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch together," Peter said over the loud chatter of the hall. "I-I mean not t-together together but like you, me and Ned." He said trying to make it less awkward.

"Yeah that would be great Peter, although I don't really know where to go for lunch, so I guess that's where you two come in." Thea chuckled half-heartedly.

"Ned and I can show you around the cafeteria and where we sit, just to warn you we aren't exactly popular during lunch...or during any other time," Peter said sheepishly.

"I expected as much but I don't care; as long as I have friends to hang out with then I'm fine wherever," Thea assured back. "So...where to?" She asked walking ahead of both of them. Thea walked forward but didn't realize that Peter nor Ned was following her.

"Peter, you have to keep her with us. This could be the way we jump up the food chain!" Ned exclaimed.

Peter still in awe said back, "I know she's great."

Thea turned around only to find that both Peter and Ned were almost half a hall down from her. "Come one you guys!" Thea shouted, "You guys are my chaperones in this school!" Ned and Peter both looked up from each other and began to walk toward Thea. Once they finally got to Thea, she asked, "So what took you so long? Gossiping about me?" She jokingly asked.

"Uh no, no we weren't," Peter said back. "We were just talking about our... our" "The test we just took in Spanish." Ned chimed in. "Y-yeah our test in Spanish," Peter confirmed. "It was a doozy, I mean what's the difference between imperfect and preterite right?"

"Righhhhtttt..." Thea said, not fully understanding what was going on.

"You two confuse me sometimes."

As the trio entered the bustling cafeteria, Thea stopped and looked in awe, taking all of it. The large room filled with chattering teenagers; the smell of grease and axe body spray harassed her nose. "So where do we sit?" Thea implored, now looking over at the boys.

"Oh we usually sit in that empty back table in the corner," Ned said while pointing over at the corner of the room.

"Let's hurry up then, I'm starving." As Thea said this her stomach growled. She began to walk towards the line where food was being served.

"Oh no, you don't want the food here, trust me." Peter stopped Thea from moving any further.

"Eating here won't cure your hunger; just make it worse because you'll throw it all up after," Ned added while nodding.

Just as the trio was about to make it to the table, another guy, shorter than them, with a look of arrogance to his face, began to walk beside Thea. As soon as he did this both Peter and Ned got a look of disgust and hatred on their faces.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here before, are you new here?" He asked haughtily. "You know, maybe we could go get some dinner together." He added with a wink.

"Maybe you should ask someone their name first before you try to hit on them next time," Thea rebutted. Her hands placed firmly on her hips as she stood her ground.

"Well, I'm Flash, Flash Thompson. And you are?"

"Thea, Thea Quinton; but guessing by your face you already knew that didn't you?" She snapped back. Thea stopped in her tracks and looked down slightly at Flash while crossing her arms.

"You caught me, but I still don't understand why a girl like you is doing with them," Flash emphasized the disgust on 'them' in the sentence.

"Maybe it's because they are actually nice people who don't just want to hit on me, unlike you Flash." Thea hissed.

"Fine, but just remember if you want more fun in your life, just find me and we'll have all the fun in the world." He said as he left Thea.

"Yeah don't plan on being friends with douchebags any time soon." Thea retaliated. Thea let out a breath and sighed out.

"Jesus Christ that guy was an asshole."

She turned around to see both of the boys with their jaws open and eyes wide.

"I can't believe you just stood up Flash," Ned said in disbelief.

"Flash has been a pain in our back ever since middle school," Peter added on.

"Well I don't like bullies, especially ones who think it's okay to hit on women at any time," Thea admitted and walked over to the boys. Both of them nodded at what she had said. Without another word Thea lead the group over to the empty table in the corner.

"So," Thea said finally getting to sit down at the table, "what's up with that Spider guy?" She tried to break the ice while also collecting information. Peter's eyes went wide but Thea failed to notice it.

"I-um you mean Spider-Man, the superhero in Queens? That Spider guy?" Peter said shakily.

"Yeah I mean, I'm new to this entire superhero scene. Here in New York, it seems to be swarming with them."

"Spider-Man is just a pest to the city don't you think? I mean he isn't an Avengers and all he does is stop robberies." Peter answered.

"I don't think he's a pest, I mean he helps people when they need it. Avenger or not he is good and knows what's right. Unlike that one girl Dark Matter." Thea rebutted to his answer.

"Yeah but no one has seen her in years. I think the last time anyone has seen her was back in 2012." Ned replied.

"Even then I don't think she's bad," Peter reassured Thea. "I think she's misunderstood. Yes, she's powerful but that doesn't mean she's not human too. We all deserve a second chance, especially superheroes." Peter professed.

This statement made Thea's eyes widen and her mouth parted in shock. "That's a way to put it," Thea said, regaining her stoic expression. "But with the Spider-Man, no one knows who he is and why he's here. I mean, he just kinda showed up out of nowhere right?" Thea asked. She leaned against her palms and looked over at Peter, who was seated next to Ned.

"I-I um think it's for the best that no one knows who he is, cause if they did he wouldn't get to live a normal life outside of being Spider-Man." Peter objected.

"But how do we know he even has a life outside of being Spider-Man," Thea asked and she furrowed her eyebrows.

Ned, who was out of the majority of this conversation inputted saying, "Well, even if we know him what would we do with that information?"

"I guess you guys are right, I'm just curious." Thea finally said, ending the conversation.

"You know what Thea, as soon as I found out who this Spider-Man is I'll let you know ok?" Peter assured her.

"Thanks, Peter, I can always count on people like you," Thea said, smiling at him.

The sudden ringing of the bell shocked Thea. She visibly jumped at the new noise and let out a sigh of defeat.

"I guess that means it's time to go," Thea said, not wanting to go to another unless class. Thea picked up her bag from the floor and pushed herself off of the seat.

"What class do you have now?" Peter asked while also getting up.

"I have physics now," Thea mumbled, walking forwards to the cafeteria doors.

"Yes," Peter muttered to himself. Thea looked at Peter in confusion. Clearing his throat he then said, "I mean Ned and I have that class next too."

"Come on you two let's get going already," Ned begged, not wanting to be late for class.

"Oh alright you crybaby," Thea said teasingly, her eyes squinting at Ned slightly, in a playful manner.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

During Thea's conversation with Peter and Ned about superheroes, one thought came to her mind. She needed to find Spider-Man, the only reason she was even at school. The reason she met Peter and Ned.

There was a slight chance that Thea would stumbleupon Spider-Man on her own, but it wasn't guaranteed. It could take weeks for her to even spot him, let alone find out his identity. She needed a plan. Something that would make sure she would interact with him. Maybe even find out who he is in a short period of time.

The only plan was to become a damsel in distress. A plan that Thea despised. Even though the plan could backfire, it was the only option she had in order to find Spider-Man in a short period of time.

Waking up on a Friday morning used to be great, that was before Thea went to school. Nowadays it's hell, she has to wake up at ungodly hours to get ready and get an education that she will most likely never use again.

Thea woke up with a yawn and got ready for the school day by putting on a pair of black ripped jeans, a thin white sweater, a black jacket and black converse. Thea walked to the small kitchen and brewed her daily cup of coffee and toast some bread. She began to make her way out the door, backpack slung over her shoulders and her meal in her hand.

It became a routine, wake up, get ready, and walk to school with Peter. Because Peter and Thea lived in the same complex just on different levels, they both thought it would be beneficial to walk together. Over time Peter became less and less frantic when it came to talking to me, but today we seemed to go in the opposite direction.

Thea walked down the stairs to meet Peter who always waited for her right by the exit.

"Hey Pete," Thea said the new nickname she gave him, "sorry for taking so long; I did a little more today than usual," Thea announced, her chest heaved slightly from the trek down the stairs.

"I-um no problem, just glad I didn't have to leave you," he stammered.

Thea could never find out what was up with Peter on days like this. The first day Thea had met him, he was like this and now today too.

"You okay Pete?" Thea asked nervously. "You seem sick; you're all red."

"No-no, no need to worry, I'm just tired from running," Peter said.

"Oh okay then, just be careful, we wouldn't want you to die on us now would we." She said laughing.

It was after school ended that Thea decided to put the plan into action. She told Peter that she couldn't walk home today because she had to pick up a bunch of stuff at the store for dinner tonight. Begrudgingly, he accepted this and told Thea to be careful because Queens is dangerous at night. Thea knew this of course, but it didn't stop her from smiling when Peter told her this. Thea knew she still had to be careful with all of this, even though she can definitely take care of herself. One wrong move and Thea could scare away Spider-Man.

Thea moved behind a store in the 'bad' part of Queens, hoping to find trouble. The only thing is that she wouldn't know if Spider-Man was saving that part of the city today, so if he wasn't, Thea would be screwed. As Thea turned the corner into the dark alley, she heard the heavy breathing of two men behind her.

"Hey girlie, what are you doing in a place like this?" The man with alcohol ridden breath said to her.

"Not dealing with you that's for sure, move or else." Thea put up a tough act.

"Come on now, don't be so rude, we just wanna have fun, don't we Bobby." The other man, Bobby, nodded in agreement.

Thea immediately went into survival mode once they slowly began their way towards her. She clenched her fists closed, stopping any mist from forming unknowingly in her palms. As soon as they came within reach of Thea, she ran down the damp and dark alley. The two men quickly made their way to Thea and reached her at the dead end of the alley. They pulled Thea back by the strap of her backpack. The sudden force caused Thea to get thrown to the ground next to the men.

There was a split moment in Thea's mind where she thought that Spider-Man wouldn't come, that he wouldn't make it in time to 'save' her. The only other idea she had in order to capture Spider-Man's attention was to scream. So she did. Thea screamed so loudly that the men had to actually cup their ears at the deafening sound and Thea's voice afterward was harsh. Thea stopped her screaming and looked around at her surroundings, trying to spot the kid in red and blue that would be her saving grace.

"You little bitch," the unnamed man spat at her. "Hold her." He said to the other man, Bobby.

"Stop moving girl," as he said this he tried to cover Thea's mouth with his hand. Thea promptly bit it with as much force as she could in a struggle.

_Shit_, Thea thought, _I'm going to have to get myself out of this one, aren't I?_

She prepared herself to use her powers, her fists now unclenched and a small stream of purple mist flowed out of her palms. Thea began to lift her hands up at the perpetrators but stopped suddenly when she heard a high pitched "Wooooooooo," coming from the buildings above her.

With a grunt, Spider-Man landed in the alley, no more than five feet from Thea. He looked up from his landing, his goggles reflecting in the setting light. Standing up from his land, he stretched his arms above his head and spoke with a swagger,

"That's no way to treat a lady no is it? Don't worry T-I mean ma'am, I'll save you."

_Now I wish I __**wasn't **__going to be saved by him_, Thea thought incredulously. _He's an absolute dork and idiot._

The men had another plan up their sleeves it seemed. As soon as they saw Spider-Man join the fight they grabbed Thea's shoulders and captured her in a bear-hug with one arm and a shiny pocket knife in the other, dangerously close to her neck. Spider-Man straightened his posture immediately and quickly raised his hands and started to wave them rapidly back and forth in a stopping manner.

"Hey, hey, hey, there is no need for that right fellas?" Spider-Man said, his high pitched voice cracking slightly. "Let's just put down the knife and we can all go home right?" Spider-Man walked forward slowly, carefully planning every step.

"Make one wrong move and this bitch will get her throat slit, I dare you," said the leader of two. He gripped Thea harder at this, pressing the knife so close to her neck that she could feel the chill of the metal blade.

"Okay, okay I'll just go—" right as Spider-Man said that he confidently shot a string of web at the man's hand which held the knife and flung it away from Thea. In the process, the force of the web hitting his hand caused the knife to graze Thea's neck. Not enough to inflict serious damage but enough to cause her to hiss at the sting.

Spider-Man then shot two more webs at the same man, one on his face and another on his chest connecting him to the wall. The other man, who was still holding Thea, got a taste of his own medicine too. He shot out three more webs to stop him: One to wrap him up in webs, to the point where we can't move, another to bring him closer to Spider-Man and a final one, connecting him to the other man already on the wall.

Thea grimaced at the sound they made when they collided but then thought those assholes deserved it. By this point, Thea was on the ground holding her neck, making sure it wouldn't bleed more. Spider-Man came rushing over as soon as he finished webbing them up.

Breathless from shooting up the men he managed to stammer out, "Are you okay?" Thea winced, looking up at Spider-Man, who was kneeling beside her

"I'm okay, I just think I got a cut." She said this while pointing to her neck and taking off her hand from it. The small red line of a cut produced a thin trail of blood trickling down her neck.

"Holy shit," Spider-Man gasped, "I'm so sorry if I was here earlier I this never would have happened."

"It's fine really," Thea assured him, "I should probably just bandage it up and go home." She said struggling to get up with one hand back on her neck.

"Here let me help you," Spider-Man said as he helped Thea up, grabbing her forearm with his gloved hand.

"Thank you for saving me, if it wasn't for you I don't know what would have happened to me," Thea said looking into his goggles.

"No problem, but we should probably get you home though; come on I'll give you a lift home," Spider-Man said, gesturing for her to come closer.

"Are you sure?" Thea asked coming closer to him. "Don't you have the rest of Queens to save?" She said less than a foot away from him.

"I'm sure Queens can handle itself for a night, besides I don't want you to possibly get hurt again while walking home." He said, looking slightly down at her. He then opened his arms and told Thea to hang on to him. As soon as he shot them up into the air Thea knew why he did this every day. The feeling of the wind, the lights at night, it was all very therapeutic.

As he swung through the city, Thea clung closer to him; her arms tightened around him as she looked at the sky. Thea didn't notice when he looked down at her while swinging. But if she did, she would have noticed him smiling under his mask.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

She felt something In Spider-Man's arms that she never felt anywhere else, not even with the Avengers. She felt comfort. Even though she just met him, he saved her and she knew she would repay him.

"We are almost to your apartment; you'll be okay there right?" He questioned. "I mean you have someone who will help you?" he backtracked his question.

Thea answered this as they landed on the fireplace outside the apartment. "No, but I'll be fine taking care of myself. I've been doing it all my life, I think I can manage this night too." Spider-Man gently released her from his grasp and she stepped down onto the fire escape grate floor.

"You mean that you live here alone? You have no family with you?" Spider-Man looked shocked at this statement.

"What are you suggesting Spider-Man?" Thea questioned with a wink. Spider-Man sputtered out nonsense before Thea shook her head and smiled.

Thea paused for a moment before she spoke. "I mean, I guess I have been alone my whole life in a way," Thea said sadly, looking down and her shoes to avoid the awkward eye contact. "I have a guardian that comes by occasionally to make sure I'm fine, but I think since I joined Mid-Town I'm not alone anymore."

"Why, what's different with Mid-Town?" he asked, leaning forward as if this could get the answer out faster.

"It's because of the people at Mid-Town; I finally have friends that I have always wanted." She confessed. "People like my friends Peter and Ned really help me, even if they don't know it." Thea smiled slightly. Spider-Man looked away at this comment, out at the skyline of the city.

"Well...I'm glad you have friends who you like so much." Spidey muttered. "I-I have to go now," he stuttered and tripped over his own feet when trying to leave. Sensing the tension, the masked man looked back at Thea in sorrow and gingerly touched her neck wound. Thea hissed at this interaction and Spider-Man then quickly pulled his gloved hand away and shot out a web, ready to leave.

"Please be careful next time, I can't risk you being hurt." He said, looking away from Thea and out at the skyline of the city. Right before he shot away Thea grabbed his arm, making sure to ask one more question before he left. Squeezing his arm, Thea asked curiously, "Who are you?" Her eyebrows furrowed and her forehead creased in confusion. He smiled at this question, even though it was under his mask, Thea could still tell it was genuine. "You'll just have to find out yourself Thea." At this he yanked on his web, protruding from a device on his wrist, and swung away. Thea climbed into her apartment feeling relieved that he didn't answer, but also confused.

Once Thea got into her room she got a call, the name Tony Stark flashed on the screen. She hadn't talked to Tony in over a week since she started this mission. Thea put the call on speaker and answered. Over the static of the call she heard Tony say, "Hey kid, long time huh."

"Hi Tony, and it's only been a week since we had seen each other. It's not the end of the world." She added sarcastically.

"I'm checking in to see how you are doing and if you found anything," Tony said.

"Thanks for that but so far nothing has come up. This kid is very well hidden; he doesn't show up until that last possible moment and then leaves as soon as he's done." Thea added onto the information by saying, "I only met him once and that only made things worse for me."

"Well hopefully you can find him soon cause everyone at the tower misses you kid," Tony said endearingly. Thea assumed that he didn't hear about her meeting Spider-Man once already, otherwise he would be practically yelling at her.

"I hope I do to Tony, I miss everyone. Tell everyone I miss them too and I'll come back as soon as possible."

"Alright will do kid, see you soon," Tony concluded.

"See you, Tony," Thea said ending the call. She wished she was back at the Tower but also wished that Peter and Ned were there with her. Once Thea put down the phone, she felt the sting on her neck and remembered what happened. Grabbing her neck, she hissed out "Shit."

Still holding on tightly to her neck, she walked into her kitchen where she kept her first-aid kit. Thea walked up to the modern, varnished wooden cabinets and scavenged through them for a bit before she found some gauze and tape that she needed to wrap up the wound. Once Thea finished wrapping it up carefully, something reminded her of the earlier interaction with Spider-Man. It was very strange with him. Being with him was like being with a friend, but Thea didn't know him...so how did Spider-Man know Thea's name and where she lived?

On Monday Thea couldn't find Peter to walk with her to school. He didn't wait outside for her, which she found strange. So Thea ended up walking by herself to Mid-Town. But the weird thing was Peter also wasn't in first period too, which was equally as strange. Peter didn't seem like the type of guy who would be absent without telling someone. During lunch, however, Thea saw Peter sitting down with Ned at their table in the cafeteria. Walking over with a purpose, Thea made herself known by saying, "What the fuck Parker? I was so worried this morning, you didn't walk me to school today and you didn't text me saying why."

"I'm sorry Thea; I had a rough weekend and was running late this morning. I didn't mean to worry you." Peter sighed out while playing with his hands.

"Ned, did you know about this?" Thea questioned Ned while crossing her arms together.

"I mean, yeah, I did," Ned said slowly, quickly picking up the pace he said, "But Peter said not to tell you because he thought it would worry you and," he rambled on.

"I'm just glad you're okay Peter," Thea said to him. She paused for a moment before continuing, "If you don't mind me asking what caused the rough weekend?"

"Just something happened on Friday that I could have changed if I was quicker," he said monotone, his face void of almost all emotions. Except Thea could still see an emotion peeking through his hard facade, guilt. Thea could see Peter eyeing her bandage over her neck that covered her injury she got after Spider-Man saved her. She pretended not to notice Peter doing this and went on.

"I'm sure you couldn't have done anything differently, everything happens for a reason you know," Thea sat down next to Peter saying, "If I hadn't been clumsy last week I would never have met you guys. I believe it all happens for a reason." She assured Peter. She placed a small hand on his shoulder and rubbed tiny circles on his shoulder.

The bell rang, interrupting their conversation, "Come on Debby-Downers we have physics to get to now." Thea said wanting to get a reaction out of them both, it didn't work.

Thea was surprised neither of them questioned her abnormally large bandage over her neck but she just chopped it off to them being out of it. In physics, they learned about electromagnetics and Thea wondered when in the world is she ever going to use this again. Unless she somehow magically becomes the next Tony Stark and needs to know everything. After school ended Thea tried desperately to talk to Peter but he was already gone by the time the bell rung.

The smell of smoke, along with the continuous loop of sirens going down the street must have meant a pretty big fire. The trucks never seemed to stop, the smoke too. Thea could see the smoke billowing from where she was.

She thought to herself, _This is it Thea, a time to prove that Dark Matter isn't just a monster to the world._

She rationed the idea in her head a couple more times before deciding that it would be a stupid idea. Also a dangerous one on top of that. Tony would kill her if she did something like 2012 again. Risking herself when she doesn't need to. Thea started to walk the opposite way when she heard the very distinctive whoops of Spider-Man. She couldn't just let him be alone with the firefighters to take on whatever happened over there. Thea could also just say to Tony that she was just doing her mission and tried to find Spider-Man. Rationalizing in her head the possibilities, she decided to go.

Thea ran off into one of the many alleys that New York has to offer. She was thankful the smoke and sirens caused a distraction for her to change. Thea still had the uniform from when she used it last. Tony made one for her especially; he knew that if she was going to help out, she couldn't just be in street clothes. Thea would need protection. So Tony built her the best uniform he could. It wasn't a uniform like you would think it normally is, no, this was special. He tested out the idea of expanding clothes. This meant Thea didn't have to carry around an entirely new outfit whenever she wanted to change. Thea could just stick a metal broach onto her clothes and it expanded from that, forming into a completely new suit, a suit that was black and resembled Black Widows but with changes to it. It was reinforced with vibranium and iron to make sure she could take a hit but it also allowed for quick and flexible movements. Thea never got many times to use it, until now. The uniform fit snug over her body and the mask covered the lower half of her face. Thea can't have her eyes covered because she relies heavily on them when using her powers.

Thea ran out of the alley, suit and mask on, though no one was around to see it. It seemed like everyone in a 3 block radius was evacuated. This must have been much bigger than she expected.


End file.
